The NHL vibes were high over the weekend. Having the 2024 Draft in the Sphere in Las Vegas? Genius. Honestly, it should always be there. There was so much to look at visually. And the Trade Horn? Brilliant. Any time it went off, everyone had to buckle in.
The Minnesota Wild had 6 draft picks, and once again, they cooked. Almost every prospect they picked up was a player who had fallen further down the draft board than anyone thought they would. And the Wild know not to look a gift horse in the mouth. It doesn't matter why other teams passed on them. What matters is that the Wild's scouting department is top-notch and knows what they like.
The NHL vibes were high over the weekend. Having the 2024 Draft in the Sphere in Las Vegas? Genius. Honestly, it should always be there. There was so much to look at visually. And the Trade Horn? Brilliant. Any time it went off, everyone had to buckle in.
The Minnesota Wild had 6 draft picks, and once again, they cooked. Almost every prospect they picked up was a player who had fallen further down the draft board than anyone thought they would. And the Wild know not to look a gift horse in the mouth. It doesn't matter why other teams passed on them. What matters is that the Wild's scouting department is top-notch and knows what they like.
Everyone has been talking about the stats because it's easy to point to them when evaluating a player. But let's pivot and take a look at the vibes of each draft pick because we all know how important vibes are to the Wild organization.
Zeev Buium
Buium made an impression last season when he helped the University of Denver to a national championship. Notably, he expressed his delight by accidentally swearing not once but twice on national television while being interviewed with his brother, who also played for Denver.
If you don’t already love Zeev Buium #mnwild pic.twitter.com/Q7ByqesHaY
— State of Hoppy (@StateOfHoppy) June 29, 2024
Buium is already familiar with Minnesota because he spent time at Shattuck-St. Mary's in Faribault. He's already purified himself in the waters of Lake Minnetonka, where he spent an entire summer.
It feels like Buium will feel right at home next to Brock Faber on the blue line. If Faber brings Golden Retriever energy, Buium brings Border Collie energy, making them delightfully different in the most wonderful way.
Ryder Ritchie
Ritchie is incredibly baby-faced, which tracks because he hasn't even turned 18 yet! However, despite his young age, he's among the smoothest-scoring players in the 2024 class. Ritchie fell to pick 45 because he missed a significant portion of his past season. But the Wild were still willing to pick him, and Ritchie seems ready to pay them back by bringing as much offense as possible.
With a dad who was also a professional hockey player, Ritchie showed a bit of cheek by pointing out that he was not only taller but more offensively gifted than his father had been. Unlike his father, however, he hasn't taken up fighting yet.
Aron Kiviharju
Kiviharju made the most viral moment of the draft for the Wild when he made a ballsy move when shaking GM Bill Guerin's hand. Pulling Guerin close, Kiviharju assured the GM that he had just made the steal of the draft by choosing him and promised to make sure he saw that. Kiviharju was also coming off a rough season where he missed long periods. In the preseason, people ranked him toward the top of the draft, but he steadily fell until the Wild picked him up in the fourth round.
Not much more has to be said. Saying something like that when meeting your boss for the first time speaks volumes to the large amount of vibes that Kiviharju brings to the organization.
Sebastian Soini
Can the Minnesota Wild really go wrong with a Finnish player? It's worked pretty well in the past!
Chase Wutzke
The Wild added another goaltender to their organization when they took Wutzke in the fifth round. Wutzke grew up in a tiny town, graduated in a class of fewer than a dozen students, and had to drive two hours to play hockey. The kid is committed.
In a cool twist of fate, Wutzke is part of the Métis Nation. Calen Addison and Connor Dewar were also part of the Métis. Even though both of them have moved on, the Wild maintain their connection to the Métis.
Stevie Leskovar
Leskovar is already 6'4". Hopefully, he'll help the whiners stop complaining about the undersized D-men that the Wild currently play with. And even better, he'll follow through on checks and answer the bell when needed. That should fit in perfectly with the gritty Wild team.
Overall, this draft class brings everything from good stats to amazing vibes.
